2018 / 12 / 15

Proving Her Worth!​Zyven Shows Off Her Girl Power in eSports

Reported by Newtalk JournalistHsing-Hsiu Tsai"ZOWIE DIVINA PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG) International Women's Invitational Tournament sees advanced 48 athletes from Europe, America, and Asia-Pacific competing on the same grounds after the preliminaries. These players will participate in an offline finals at Shanghai, China from December 13th to 16th, showcasing the most professional women's eSport competition to the world."Hailing from Argentina, Zyven first came across first-person shooter (FPS) games at the age of 12, and she has been passionate about these games ever since.

Wearing a scarf in the cold winter in Shanghai, Zyven tells us her story: "The first FPS game I played was from the Counter Strike series, then it was Call of Duty and CS: GO. I didn't come across professional eSports until I was 16. I only came across PUBG last year. I have partnered with a male athlete before, and we won the U.S. championship for Battlefield. Though I don't frequently win at these competitions, I still enjoy forming teams with guys more than girls.

When it comes to her eSports career, Zyven says, "I had an opportunity to join a professional eSports team before, but my father was opposed to the idea. He didn't support my decision at all and cut off my Internet and wouldn't let me play. I got into a huge fight with him and even resorted to physical violence. The situation between us was pretty severe, and then I ran away from home. I currently live with my boyfriend--his family has taken me in. So right now I can focus on my career and make the best of things."

Having majored in Journalism, Zyven is now both a journalist and an Esports athlete. She laughs and says, "These two professions are totally different, and when I play, I think, 'Wouldn't it be so great if I could combine my major with my interest?' "Then I could make progress toward both of my identities at the same time. Because of my profession, I can interview athletes in Brazil who I idolize. I never imagined that I could chat and have meals with them so comfortably. To me, it is like a dream come true."

As for whether there is any difference between male and female players, Zyven believes that when it comes to recreational gamers, male players tend to be more serious. "Sometimes I come across male players who are reluctant to play with female players or even refuse to team up with them because they feel that females are less skilled than males." Nevertheless, she does not see a difference between her skills and those of a male player, and she strives to prove herself in competitions.

Zyven can hardly contain her excitement at being able to participate in this tournament, "ZOWIE DIVINA PUBG International Women's Invitational is an international tournament, and it is also my first time to participate in a competition of this size and scale. I had only competed in the States before, and though this is an exclusively female tournament, there isn't anything else that sets this tournament apart from the other tournaments, as it is still a very difficult professional tournament."​"Being here is a dream come true," Zyven smiles, "Though I don't think that I am the weakest around here, I am worried that I might not be able to do my best because I'm so nervous. I should be able to do well if I can relax and concentrate."

In addition, Zyven is also fairly impressed with ZOWIE ZONE, the integrated e-Sports system that is being used in the tournament. She explains, "We have never seen this type of gear in Argentina before! Such convenient and user-friendly gear is so awesome, and I think it will truly make a difference! Though currently Argentina's eSports industry is still taking off and we don't have as many competitions as they do in North America, we have fewer sponsors, and our government can't inject as much resources toward eSports due to economic problems, still I believe it will get better in the future."